Blue Ox Hoping to Supply Material to U.S. DOD

Blue Ox President Jay Hesse and Vice President Ellen Kietzmann completed a trip to Washington, D.C., last week where they visited members of Nebraska’s congressional delegation – Sens. Mike Johanns and Deb Fisher and Rep. Jeff Fortenberry – to discuss the role of Blue Ox in providing material to the U.S. Department of Defense.

According to a press release, Hesse said he and Kietzmann have been working with the American Business Development Group, which specializes in helping to develop contracts to supply equipment to U.S. military forces and introduce Blue Ox to Nebraska’s representatives in the nation’s capital.

“We were in Washington, D.C., to meet with our representatives to let them know who we are, where we’re at and what we do including diversifying what we already do,” said Hesse. “We’ve been manufacturing in the agricultural and the RV industries and we wanted to emphasize that we have the capabilities to work in the defense industry.”

Known for making hitches to haul trailers and vehicles behind utility, commercial, agricultural and recreational vehicles, Blue Ox also makes tow bars of defense-grade materials that can haul 20,000, 40,000, 80,000 and 120,000 pounds. “These would be pulling heavy military vehicles,” Hesse said of the heavy-load tow bars. “These would be from HUMVEEs and other similar-sized vehicles up to some tanks.”

Hesse said that Sens. Johanns, Fischer and Rep. Fortenberry plan to tour Blue Ox facilities in August. “We have our headquarters in Pender but we’re looking at expanding the engineering and logistics of our two facilities in Lincoln,” said Hesse who noted that retired Major General Roger Lempke, former adjutant general of the Nebraska National Guard, will also tour Blue Ox facilities “We’re looking at acquiring equipment and expanding the Lincoln facilities to handle defense contracts,” said Kietzmann. “Our goal is to put the Department of Defense side of our operations in Lincoln.”

For more information about Blue Ox and its complete line of Blue Ox towing and braking systems, steering controls systems, sport carriers and accessories, along with its agricultural products, visit www.blueox.com.